GABON informaiton

GABON (information)

stay: 2004/Oct/5..2004/Nov/29

general view **********************************************

While you are driving, you will find many kind of animals for sale and many trailers transporting logs. This country is right on the equator. You can find the sign on the main road to Libreville. It seems that the southern local people are fresh to foreigners.

I got a GABON visa at Yaounde (CAMEROON) / CFA35,000. (refer to 'Cameroon.doc')

climate **********************************************

In the nights I had much rain while I had been.

money **********************************************

You should prepare for CFA at a big city in advance. It's difficult to exchange in the provinces.

in Libreville (capital)

*ATM for visa are many.

(by hearsay) Some ATM are available for CitiBank card.

prices **********************************************

Most things seem to be more expensive than in CAMEROON. 'regab' is a cheaper beer.

hotel; (room) 4000.., (tent) 2000

petrol; (super) 450..465/L / (remote area) 600..700/L

beer (650ml); (regab) 350.., (castle) 500, Fanta (350ml); 345

stand; (back street) 500.., (main road, spaghetti) 800..

Internet; 800/h

telephone call; very expensive! If the other party is in the city, visiting by taxi is cheaper.

food **********************************************

Doing your own cooking is important. Stand meal is not cheap.

BEER;

In West Africa, about less than $1/(big bottle). From the centre of Africa to the south the price will rise. And from ANGOLA it becomes about $1/(small bottle). This price is almost the same in South Africa. In East Africa, it just goes down a little.

export, castel: CAMEROON is cheaper than here.

regab: like water but cheapest one in this country.

accommodation **********************************************

They have enough parking space as long as there's no note in the followings. But the security is your own responsibility.

in Bitam

DJAKARTA (N02°04'47.5" E011°29'35.6")

S4000 (You may discount!), tent2000 (nego.) / shared toilet&shower, restaurant

in Ndjole

Hotel Papaye (S00°10'55.9" E010°46'07.7")

W5500 / shared toilet&shower

in Libreville (capital)

Maison Emilie de Villeneuve Soeurs Blues (N00°24'22.5" E009°26'55.6")

W7000, tent2000 (nego.) / clean shared toilet&shower(hot), shared refrigerator

This is the cheapest hotel in Libreville. The owner can't speak English, only French. Be careful with your tent and vehicle, there are many visitors.

Maison Libermann (N00°24'13.6" E009°26'57.2")

W7000

This hotel is often full. There is a friendship with 'Maison Emilie de Villeneuve Soeurs Blues'.

? (Cap Esterias) (N00°37'06.2" E009°19'24.2")

tent free! / restaurant

The end of the cap, there is an old hotel. You can pitch a tent free there. But the problem is that it is far from the centre of the city. The road to the end is an earth road.

in Lambarene (by hearsay);

Hotel Bor Bebe (S00°42'06.5" E010°14'04.6")
W10000

in N'dende

Motel Barbecue (behind 'TOTAL') (S02°24'06.2" E011°21'04.0")

W5300 (You may discount!) / private toilet&shower, fan

(by hearsay) (annex) room12300 / air-con

town **********************************************

in Bitam

This is a border town.

beer (hotel); 650..700

in Mitzic

This is a relay town between Oyem and Ndjole.

petrol; 600 (expensive than another town. Next GS is in Bitam or Ndjole), beer; 500, hitch (per person); (Mitzic-Libreville) 10000, (about 10km) 300

in Ndjole

Small but good impression town. GS is (the petrol is cheaper than Mitzic).

sugar; 800/kg, tomato; 250/pile, wine; 1000/L

in Libreville (capital)

There is a president residence. So in the city there are many soldiers for security. Sometimes you'll be checked your passport and belongings.

Spaghetti is popular among the stands. The stands along the big streets are expensive. They are about 800../meal. In a back street you can find cheaper stand. They are about 500../meal (beer 400..). Bottle deposit is different from each store.

petrol; (super) 450..463, Internet; 800/h, 3,500/5h, 6,500/10h..., beer (supermarket); (regab) 350.., Fanta; 345, hair cut; 500, postage to Japan; (postcard) 150, (letter) 300, stand; (back street) 500.., (spaghetti) 800..

Internet-cafe; I lost the name and GPS point. Japanese typing possible. Ms. T (Japanese) in Japan embassy knows the place.

NitroJets (motorcycle repair shop) (N00°22'12.3" E009°27'30.1") They don't require any money from tourists. But the black repairman's skill is low.

in Lambarene

petrol; (super) 465, beef sandwich; 500, smoked monkey (street); 4000 (You'll find many animals for sale along the road.)

in N'dende

This is a small border town.

beer (hotel); 800.., sandwich; 100, manioc (spell?); 250 (But it may be 100.)

The equator on R1 (main road);

the east point (N00°00'00.0" E011°00'34.9") There is no sign, 50km to the north (Mitzic) from Ndjole.

the west point (S00°00'00.0" E010°19'12.7") It's between Bifoun and Ntoum. There are two signs on the west side of R1, though they are not in the right place. One is beside the road, the other is the top of a hill. The one on the hill is a big bird picture sign. The true point is a little more north. There is an secret mark on the tree. Please find it.

government establishments (visa) **********************************************

in Libreville (capital)

CONGO embassy (N00°25'16.2" E009°25'44.7")

transit 7 days / CFA 20,000, photo 1, issue the next day 10:00

You have to declare your entry date when you apply. Be careful! If they notice that you don't know French, they tell(demand) you the untrue price persistently. You never give up checking and insisting the true price.

ANGOLA embassy (near CONGO embassy) (N00°25'17.0" E009°25'48.2")

transit 15 days CFA40,000 & tourist 30 days CFA60,000

photo 2, copy of passport 1, validity for entry 1month (60 days?),

application Mon, Thu, Fri

issue: next visa day (Thu, Fri, Mon) If you apply on Thu., you can receive your visa next day.

they hardly speak English.

JAPAN embassy (along the Blvd Georges Pompidou, north of　the ferry port) (N00°25'02.8" E009°25'28.4")

tel. 73-22-97, 73-02-35 / on Wed. PM is close.

ZAIRE (LDC) embassy (by hearsay)

transit ?days / CFA28,000

immigration

visa extension: CFA35,000, photo 2, passport, a letter of the reason for extension

#note;

·I travelled from Libreville (GABON) to Luanda (ANGOLA) by way of Point-nore (CONGO) - Cabinda (ANGOLA) -(by ferry)- Soyo (ANGOLA). So I didn't pass LDC.

·If you want to avoid using the ferry, you have to have two visas for ANGOLA or avoid Cabinda (ANGOLA) because ANGOLA embassy issues only single entry visa.

·There is also a ferry between Point-nore (CONGO) and Luanda (ANGOLA). I saw tourists who used the ferry with their car. But the ferry between Cabinda (ANGOLA) and Soyo (ANGOLA) is　impossible to transport a car. My small motorcycle could be transported with difficulty.

·Today there seems to be a bridge over Congo River near the mouth of the river.

·In Jan/2005 ANGOLA embassy in Libreville couldn't issue a visa because visa seal became out of stock. (2005/Jun, it seemed to be resumed)

·In Pointe-nore (CONGO) there is also an ANGOLA embassy, though a tourist couldn't get a visa there in about Jan/2005.

border **********************************************

Bitam (entry from Cameroon);

No money is required. You need a copy of the visa (Sometimes copy of your Passport, too). Around here copying is expensive. You should prepare for it in advance.

immigration (N02°04'45.7" E011°29'33.1")

N'dende (leaving for Congo);

No money is required. The immigration and customs are in a same house.

road **********************************************

　 road map

It's better than Cameroon. The main road in the north is paved.

From Bitam to Libreville, Lambarene, the main road (R1) is paved basically. The side roads and the road south of Lambarene are the earth road. Between Mitzic and Libreville, there are two routes. But　you should take R1 (via Bifoun) because the other route via the north is very bad!

Bitam(the north border)--(R1, via Bifoun)--Libreville[674km]: pavement (2004/Oct, Lalara-Ndjole was under construction.) at Lalala, Kamgo there are police controls (passport check). The section north of Ndjole, you can enjoy bamboo tunnels. R1 runs over the equator twice. Between Bifoun--Libreville you can find the sign (refer to 'town').

Libreville--Lambarene[275km]: pavement

Lambarene--N'dende(the south border)[270km]: Lambarene--(pavement)[20km]--/--(pavement & earth by turns)[20km]--/--(earth, almost flat, some puddles)[35km], (deep mud spot), (earth)[25km]--/--(town)--/--(earth)[105km]--(town)--(earth, flat)[75km]--N'dende--(earth, flat)[38km]--(border)

(AYANE_ROAD)

Libreville--(via the north)--Mitzic: Libreville--(R1, pavement)--/--Kougouleu--/--(slippery, muddy road)[20km]--/--(gravel road, red earth, flat)[60km]--/--(slippery, deep mud, ditch, big puddles, steep slopes, crossing rivers, big stones, fallen trees, ocherous earth)[65km]--Edoum--(slippery, mud, ditch)[21km]--Medouneu(border town)--(gravel road, red earth)[33km]--/--(deep mud, ditch, big puddles)[22km]--Doumandzou--(deep mud, ditch, big puddles)[17km?]--Sam--(gravel road, red earth, flat)[52km?]--Mitzic

*Kougouleu (N00°24'13.5" E009°53'18.2"): There's no sign, no village but you can find a wide branch. The local people know the name, Kougouleu. So you can find the place easily.

*Medouneu (N01°00'57.5" E010°47'42.9"): The border town between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Petrol 700/L

*Mitzic: Petrol 600/L (refer to 'town')

************************************************************ (End)

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